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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: press · band · current · patient · fork · present · chair · rock

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. rock — music
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. chair — a leader
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. current — happening now
  7. rock — a stone
  8. press — a publisher
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. present — the time now
  12. press — newspapers
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. present — there
  15. fork — in a road
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. current — electric
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. band — a ring
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. present — a gift
  22. band — a music group
  23. press — to push
  24. current — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com